# 2017 Philadelphia Union season

The 2017 Philadelphia Union season was the club's eighth season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer. The team was managed by Jim Curtin, his fourth season with the club. The Union finished the 2017 season with the same points total as the 2016 season, but did not clinch entry to the MLS Cup Playoffs. The 2017 season also marks a new goalscoring record by C. J. Sapong who scored 16 goals in a single season, eclipsing Sebastian Le Toux's record of 14 goals during the inaugural season.

## Background
### MLS SuperDraft

| Round | Pick | Name | Position | Nationality | School |
| 2 | 25 | Marcus Epps | Forward | United States | South Florida |
| 33 | Aaron Jones | Defender | England | Clemson |
| 3 | 55 | Chris Nanco | Forward | Canada | Syracuse |
| 4 | 77 | Jack Elliott | Defender | England | West Virginia |
| 82 | Santi Moar | Forward | Spain | Pfeiffer |

### 2016 MLS regular season

During the 2016 MLS season the Union finished with an 11–14–9 record, which was enough for a playoff berth, the franchise's first since 2011, as the sixth seed. The Union also had a franchise record eight wins at home, finishing 8–5–4 at home and 3–9–5 on the road.

### 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs

The Union faced Toronto FC in the Eastern Conference knockout round, where they lost 3–1 at BMO Field. The Union's only playoff goal of 2016 was scored by Alejandro Bedoya in the 73rd minute of that game.

### 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. open

The Union entered the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup playing host to the Harrisburg City Islanders and won by a score of 3–2, advancing to play the New York Red Bulls in the round of 16, where a two-goal effort by Chris Pontius lifted the Union to a 2–1 victory. The Union went on to lose 4–2 in penalties to the New England Revolution after playing to a 1-1 draw through extra time in the quarterfinals.

## 2017 roster

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 2 | MF | GUY | Warren Creavalle |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Jack Elliot |
| 4 | DF | USA | Ken Tribbett |
| 5 | DF | USA | Oguchi Onyewu |
| 6 | MF | BIH | Haris Medunjanin |
| 7 | MF | USA | Brian Carroll (Vice-captain) |
| 8 | MF | USA | Maurice Edu (DP) |
| 9 | FW | USA | Charlie Davies |
| 10 | MF | NED | Roland Alberg |
| 11 | MF | USA | Alejandro Bedoya (DP, Captain) |
| 12 | DF | USA | Keegan Rosenberry |
| 13 | MF | USA | Chris Pontius |
| 14 | MF | GER | Fabian Herbers (GA) |
| 15 | DF | GHA | Josh Yaro (GA) |
| 16 | DF | USA | Richie Marquez |
| 17 | FW | USA | C. J. Sapong |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 18 | GK | JAM | Andre Blake (GA) |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Aaron Jones |
| 20 | MF | USA | Marcus Epps |
| 21 | MF | USA | Derrick Jones (HGP) |
| 22 | MF | USA | Fafà Picault |
| 23 | GK | USA | John McCarthy |
| 24 | MF | AFG | Adam Najem (HGP) |
| 25 | MF | BRA | Ilsinho |
| 26 | DF | USA | Auston Trusty (HGP) |
| 27 | FW | ENG | Jay Simpson |
| 28 | DF | USA | Ray Gaddis |
| 29 | GK | USA | Jake McGuire |
| 30 | MF | CMR | Eric Ayuk Mbu |
| 32 | DF | NED | Giliano Wijnaldum |
| 33 | DF | BRA | Fabinho |

### Current squad

| No. | Name | Position | Date of birth (age) | Signed from |
| Goalkeepers ||||||
| 18 | Andre Blake (INT) | GK | (1990-11-21) November 21, 1990 (age 34) | UConn |
| 23 | John McCarthy | GK | (1992-07-04) July 4, 1992 (age 32) | Rochester Rhinos |
| 29 | Jake McGuire | GK | (1994-09-03) September 3, 1994 (age 30) | University of Tulsa |
| Defenders ||||||
| 3 | Jack Elliott | CB | (1995-08-24) August 24, 1995 (age 29) | West Virginia University |
| 4 | Ken Tribbett | CB | (1991-08-25) August 25, 1991 (age 33) | Bethlehem Steel FC |
| 5 | Oguchi Onyewu | CB | (1982-05-13) May 13, 1982 (age 42) | Unattached |
| 12 | Keegan Rosenberry | RB | (1993-12-11) December 11, 1993 (age 31) | Georgetown University |
| 15 | Joshua Yaro (INT, GA) | LB/CB | (1994-03-07) March 7, 1994 (age 30) | Georgetown University |
| 16 | Richie Marquez | CB | (1992-05-26) May 26, 1992 (age 32) | University of Redlands |
| 19 | Aaron Jones | CB | (1994-03-12) March 12, 1994 (age 30) | Clemson Tigers |
| 26 | Auston Trusty (HGP) | CB | (1998-08-12) August 12, 1998 (age 26) | Bethlehem Steel FC |
| 28 | Ray Gaddis | RB | (1990-01-13) January 13, 1990 (age 35) | West Virginia University |
| 32 | Giliano Wijnaldum (INT) | LB | (1992-08-31) August 31, 1992 (age 32) | VfL Bochum |
| 33 | Fabinho | LB | (1985-03-16) March 16, 1985 (age 39) | Sydney FC |
| Midfielders ||||||
| 2 | Warren Creavalle | DM | (1990-08-14) August 14, 1990 (age 34) | Toronto FC |
| 6 | Haris Medunjanin (INT) | CM | (1985-03-08) March 8, 1985 (age 39) | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 7 | Brian Carroll | DM | (1981-07-20) July 20, 1981 (age 43) | Columbus Crew SC |
| 8 | Maurice Edu (DP) | DM | (1986-04-18) April 18, 1986 (age 38) | Stoke City |
| 10 | Roland Alberg (INT) | CM | (1990-08-06) August 6, 1990 (age 34) | ADO Den Haag |
| 11 | Alejandro Bedoya (DP) | CM/RM | (1987-04-29) April 29, 1987 (age 37) | FC Nantes |
| 13 | Chris Pontius | LM | (1987-05-12) May 12, 1987 (age 37) | D.C. United |
| 20 | Marcus Epps | CF | (1995-01-16) January 16, 1995 (age 30) | South Florida |
| 21 | Derrick Jones (HGP) | MF | (1997-03-03) March 3, 1997 (age 27) | Bethlehem Steel FC |
| 22 | Fafà Picault | MF | (1991-02-23) February 23, 1991 (age 33) | FC St. Pauli |
| 24 | Adam Najem (HGP) | MF | (1995-01-19) January 19, 1995 (age 30) | Akron |
| 25 | Ilson Jr. (INT) | CM/RM | (1985-10-12) October 12, 1985 (age 39) | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| 30 | Eric Ayuk Mbu (INT) | LM/RM | (1997-02-17) February 17, 1997 (age 27) | Rainbow FC Bamenda |
| Forwards ||||||
| 9 | Charlie Davies | CF | (1986-06-25) June 25, 1986 (age 38) | New England Revolution |
| 14 | Fabian Herbers (INT, GA) | CF | (1993-08-17) August 17, 1993 (age 31) | Creighton University |
| 17 | C.J. Sapong | CF | (1988-12-27) December 27, 1988 (age 36) | Sporting Kansas City |
| 27 | Jay Simpson (INT) | CF | (1988-12-01) December 1, 1988 (age 36) | Leyton Orient |
Last updated: March 10, 2017. Source: Philadelphia Union Roster
Last updated: March 10, 2017. Source: MLS Designations
DP indicates Designated Player GA indicates Generation Adidas Player HGP indicates Home Grown Player INT indicates MLS International Player and qualifies for an international roster spot

### Current staff

    As of March 2016
| Position | Staff | Nation |
| Head coach | Jim Curtin | United States |
| Technical director/Assistant coach | Chris Albright | United States |
| Assistant coach | Mike Sorber | United States |
| Assistant coach | B.J. Callaghan | United States |
| Goalkeeping coach | Oka Nikolov | Macedonia |
| Head athletic trainer | Paul Rushing | United States |
| Strength and conditioning coach | Kevin Miller | United States |
| Sporting director | Earnie Stewart | United States |
| Academy director | Tommy Wilson | Scotland |

## Standings
### Eastern Conference standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Toronto FC | 34 | 20 | 5 | 9 | 74 | 37 | +37 | 69 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 2 | New York City FC | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 57 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 3 | Chicago Fire | 34 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 62 | 48 | +14 | 55 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 4 | Atlanta United FC | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 70 | 40 | +30 | 55 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 5 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 53 | 49 | +4 | 54 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 6 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 53 | 47 | +6 | 50 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 7 | New England Revolution | 34 | 13 | 15 | 6 | 53 | 61 | −8 | 45 | |
| 8 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 50 | 47 | +3 | 42 | |
| 9 | Montreal Impact | 34 | 11 | 17 | 6 | 52 | 58 | −6 | 39 | |
| 10 | Orlando City SC | 34 | 10 | 15 | 9 | 39 | 58 | −19 | 39 | |
| 11 | D.C. United | 34 | 9 | 20 | 5 | 31 | 60 | −29 | 32 | |

### League standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Toronto FC (C, S) | 34 | 20 | 5 | 9 | 74 | 37 | +37 | 69 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 2 | New York City FC | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 57 | |
| 3 | Chicago Fire | 34 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 61 | 47 | +14 | 55 | |
| 4 | Atlanta United FC | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 70 | 40 | +30 | 55 | |
| 5 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 53 | 49 | +4 | 54 | |
| 6 | Portland Timbers | 34 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 60 | 50 | +10 | 53 | |
| 7 | Seattle Sounders FC | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 52 | 39 | +13 | 53 | |
| 8 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 34 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 50 | 49 | +1 | 52 | |
| 9 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 53 | 47 | +6 | 50 | |
| 10 | Houston Dynamo | 34 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 57 | 45 | +12 | 50 | |
| 11 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 40 | 29 | +11 | 49 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 12 | San Jose Earthquakes | 34 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 39 | 60 | −21 | 46 | |
| 13 | FC Dallas | 34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 48 | 48 | 0 | 46 | |
| 14 | Real Salt Lake | 34 | 13 | 15 | 6 | 49 | 55 | −6 | 45 | |
| 15 | New England Revolution | 34 | 13 | 15 | 6 | 53 | 61 | −8 | 45 | |
| 16 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 50 | 47 | +3 | 42 | |
| 17 | Montreal Impact | 34 | 11 | 17 | 6 | 52 | 58 | −6 | 39 | |
| 18 | Orlando City SC | 34 | 10 | 15 | 9 | 39 | 58 | −19 | 39 | |
| 19 | Minnesota United FC | 34 | 10 | 18 | 6 | 47 | 70 | −23 | 36 | |
| 20 | Colorado Rapids | 34 | 9 | 19 | 6 | 31 | 51 | −20 | 33 | |
| 21 | D.C. United | 34 | 9 | 20 | 5 | 31 | 60 | −29 | 32 | |
| 22 | LA Galaxy | 34 | 8 | 18 | 8 | 45 | 67 | −22 | 32 | |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

    As of February 28, 2018
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | MLS | MLS | MLS Cup | MLS Cup | U.S. Open Cup | U.S. Open Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 3 | DF | ENG | Jack Elliott | 30 | 2 | 29+1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | USA | Ken Tribbett | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | USA | Oguchi Onyewu | 22 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | USA | Keegan Rosenberry | 16 | 0 | 11+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | GHA | Joshua Yaro | 8 | 0 | 4+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | USA | Richie Marquez | 15 | 1 | 13+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | ENG | Aaron Jones | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | USA | Auston Trusty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | DF | USA | Ray Gaddis | 27 | 0 | 23+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | NED | Giliano Wijnaldum | 14 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 33 | DF | BRA | Fabinho | 23 | 0 | 21+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 2 | MF | GUY | Warren Creavalle | 13 | 0 | 5+8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | BIH | Haris Medunjanin | 36 | 2 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | USA | Brian Carroll | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | USA | Maurice Edu | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | NED | Roland Alberg | 26 | 8 | 9+15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 11 | MF | USA | Alejandro Bedoya | 28 | 2 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | MF | USA | Chris Pontius | 31 | 2 | 27+3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | USA | Marcus Epps | 21 | 3 | 7+12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 |
| 21 | MF | USA | Derrick Jones | 14 | 1 | 8+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 22 | MF | USA | Fafa Picault | 29 | 7 | 23+5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | USA | Adam Najem | 5 | 0 | 1+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | USA | Ilson Jr. | 27 | 6 | 24+3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | MF | CMR | Eric Ayuk Mbu | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | USA | Charlie Davies | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | USA | C.J. Sapong | 35 | 17 | 30+3 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 27 | FW | ENG | Jay Simpson | 24 | 1 | 4+18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Statistics are from all matches as documented by Soccerway.com.

### Top scorers

    As of March 3, 2018
| Place | Position | Name | MLS | MLS Cup | Open Cup | Total |
| 1 | FW | C. J. Sapong | 16 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
| 2 | MF | Roland Alberg | 7 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 3 | MF | Fafà Picault | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 4 | MF | Ilsinho | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 5 | MF | Marcus Epps | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | MF | Haris Medunjanin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | Alejandro Bedoya | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | Chris Pontius | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 14 | DF | Jack Elliott | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | Oguchi Onyewu | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| MF | Fabian Herbers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | Richie Marquez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| MF | Derrick Jones | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| FW | Jay Simpson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 49 | 0 | 4 | 53 |

### Goalkeepers

    As of March 3, 2018
| Nat. | No. | Player | Apps | Starts | Record | GA | GAA | SO | | |
| | 1 | BlakeAndre Blake | 26 | 26 | 9–10–7 | 34 | 1.31 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| | 27 | McCarthyJohn McCarthy | 8 | 8 | 2–4–2 | 13 | 1.63 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | 29 | McCarthyJake McGuire | 0 | 0 | 0–0–0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 11–14–9 | 47 | 1.38 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
    Record = W-L-D

## Transfers
### In

| Date | No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred from | Fee/notes |
| January 5, 2017 | 32 | LB | Giliano Wijnaldum | VfL Bochum | Discovery Signing |
| January 9, 2017 | 27 | FW | Jay Simpson | Leyton Orient | Discovery Signing using TAM |
| January 30, 2017 | 5 | CB | Oguchi Onyewu | Unattached | Discovery Signing |
| January 31, 2017 | 6 | CM | Haris Medunjanin | Maccabi Tel Aviv | Signing using TAM |
| February 2, 2017 | 22 | MF | Fafà Picault | FC St. Pauli | Discover Signing |
| February 6, 2017 | 20 | FW | Marcus Epps | South Florida | 2017 Philadelphia Union Draft Signing |
| February 8, 2017 | 24 | MF | Adam Najem | University of Akron | Traded first right to refusal with New York Red Bulls |
| February 23, 2017 | 19 | DF | Aaron Jones | Clemson Tigers | 2017 Philadelphia Union Draft Signing |
| February 24, 2017 | 3 | DF | Jack Elliott | West Virginia University | 2017 Philadelphia Union Draft Signing |
| March 10, 2017 | 29 | GK | Jake McGuire | University of Tulsa | Waiver Selection |

### Out

| Date | No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred to | Fee/notes |
| October 28, 2016 | 10 | MF | Tranquillo Barnetta | FC St. Gallen | End of Contract |
| November 2, 2016 | 3 | DF | Taylor Washington | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | Contract Option Declined |
| November 2, 2016 | 19 | MF | Cole Missimo | | Contract Option Declined |
| November 2, 2016 | 20 | MF | Wálter Restrepo | New York Cosmos | Contract Option Declined |
| November 2, 2016 | 23 | DF | Anderson Conceição | Tombense | End of Loan |
| November 2, 2016 | 27 | GK | Matt Jones | Belenenses | End of Loan |
| November 2, 2016 | 32 | MF | Kevin Kratz | Atlanta United FC | Trade for 2020 4th Round MLS SuperDraft Pick |
| January 18, 2017 | 22 | MF | Leo Fernandes | Tampa Bay Rowdies | End of Contract |

### Loan in

| Date | No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned from | Notes |

### Loan out

| Date | No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned to | Notes |
| April 4, 2017 | 30 | MF | Eric Ayuk | Jönköpings Södra IF | Remainder of 2017 season |

## Honors and awards
### MLS Player of the Week

| Week | Player | Stats |
| 9 | Chris Pontius | 3G |

### MLS Save of the Week

| Week | Player | Link |
| 21 | John McCarthy | |